Retaining device for storage containers



Nov. 28, 1933.

A. w. PETERS v 1,937,480

RETAINING DEVICE FOR STORAGE CONTAINERS Filed Jan. 18, 1935 Patented Nov. 28, 1933 UNITED STA RETAINING DEVICE FOR s'roaacu CONTAINERS Anthony W. Peters,

West Roxbury, Mass, as-

signor of one-half to Theodore P. Whittemore,

West Roxbury, Mass.

Application January 18,

"193;. Serial No. 652,297

This invention relates'to .improvementsin re taming devices for storage containers. More especially it relates to a combined clasp, locking 1,

means and handle which has a particular utility t for facilitating the handling of a heavy and/or bulky container, and for. securing a container effectively and safely on a supporting stucture for controlled discharge of contents. The invention will be herein described and illustrated in connection with a fuel oil supply bottle of ordinary type, mounted inverted, for feed to, a kitchen range oil burner; but it may be employed in various other connections, such as for containers of beverages invertedly mounted for valved dispensation of contents in retail trade. 7 I

Range oil burners customarily are supplied with fuel from a storage container inverted nearby at an elevation suilicient for gravity to feed its oil to the burner from the intermediary cup into which. the bottle mouth dips. The container may be assumed to be of a standard glass bottle gallons, set mouth down in a cup-like reservoir fromfiwhich the feed pipe leads tothe burne Such a reservoir usually is supported on a vertical standard, a pipe rising "from a base on the floor; and horizontal spring jaws customarily extend out from a higher part of this round pipe standard, to grasp the upper portion of the bottle. 39 The handling of these "their removal when nearly empty, is diflicult for some persons, especially the lifting, inverting and setting of the bottle on its support for proper gravity feed ;A handle has been provided at the neck end, but at the large end the smooth, slippery glass surface has had to be grasped as best one could in lifting, balancing and shifting the bottle into its proper place on the support. As the mounting of a bottle has to be accomplished rapidly,to prevent slopping out of oil from the inverted bottle mouth, the mounting operation involves risk of dropping the bottle. This danger is so great, and breakage so frequent, that glass bottles are being abandoned for steel, although steel is in other. respects much less desirable. It is an object of the present invention toeliminate hazard, incident to the handling of such containers, and at the same time to make the lifting, inverting and positioning of a fullbottle of oil easier-especially a much easier task for a woman. I

A part objective to this end is the providing of convenient and effective means whereby the body of such a large bottle may be gripped safely 5 in. ones hand, enabling the bottle as awhole to be securely held and tipped by both hands.

Such means is, to incorporate a handle or grip as an integral part of. a clasp which rigidly encircles the body of the bottle.

0; Another feature is to provide means fast type, holding several elastictilp' ends, may be bent bottles when full, and

to said f from the, standard which as a springclamp. Afurthe'r feature is to standard. a v

And another defect of prior devicesisremoved by preventing any accidental-horizontal knocking oi the supported bottle around thestandard, from position over its delivery cup; of a combined bottle handle, bottle clasp, spring clamp, and lock for the spring long'strip of stiffand strong metal, with slightly tion into a ,suitablysmall hand and be formed semi-circularly, (on each side of said handle, to surround and clasp intimately the container. or bottle which is to be held; these two semi-circular clasping portionsbeingfsecured together integrally at the said handle side of the bottle, and being opposite side,where they approach each other t providean instant convenient locking device for the clamp on the I clamp. A single at its central porgrip; for handle;

fastened together at the bottle's 1,937,480 TES PATENT"oFFicExj supportslthe bottle, such Q The invention attains these results byi means and can be riveted,bolted or mechanically pinch ed together; and continuingbeyond this fastening to their engagement with bottle-supporting upright standard.

For the engagement propriateparts of the ably spring tempered, away from each other, and provide a narrownon-circular bowed space withwith the standard the apclasping stripare prefere in which a non-circular portion'of a supporting standard may enter .of the metal strip. The extreme ends of the and are set bowed slightlyv thenback' again, to;

and be pinched bygr'esiliencyi strip beyond the said bowed portions are set in a "V-formation to constitute 'a which the standard can enter, enter the bowed space,--w"e n the clasped bottle is thrust toward the standard; The resiliency of the metal strip willthen'close the strip end por tions together around suffice, to, maintain the rotatory, displacement aroun However, I prefer in [their pinching.relationtothe standard, A simple U-shaped staple suifices for this lock. When slipped over the strip; ends, just back'of their 'spreadingtips, such aistaple both prevents throat throug'h spread them,and

' the standard, sand may claspedbottle against dis placement away from the standard, and against? the standard.-

to lock the strip ends positively Y their spreading .andis itselfjheld by gravity.

This ensures the maintenance of the simple andv convenient, 'yet entirely effective,- connection' of clasped bottle,tojsupportirigstandard. 3

It is intended" that the patent shall cover, by suitable expression in the appended'claims, what ever features of patentable novelty exist in the invention disclosed. V

In the accompanyingldrawing'r t Figure, 1 is a front elevationfoi an oil supply tures of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Figure 3 is a planof the device seen in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a plan of details, the spring fork for engaging the standard, with its locking staple;

Figure 5 is a modified constructioncorresponding to Figure 3.

Referring to the drawing, the inverted container 10 is of bottle shape and may be of glass, asis ordinary, or of other material, to hold a supply of oil or other liquid in position for controlled outflow fromthe bottle mouth, which latter may restin a'cup-like receptacle 12 reaching outfrom a vertical supporting standard 14. In the case of oil supply bottles for range oil burners, thestandard 14 may be a piece of iron pipe rising from a suitable base 16, and having vertical extent which carries it at least as high as the extreme upper portion of the inverted bottle.

The receptacle 12 preferably'is adjustable along standard 14, by means of a set screw 18 .26

or the like; and the oil this receptacle 12.

The invention relates primarily to means for handling and retaining the bottle; to provide against its accidental displacement from its support, and against its slipping from the hands of a person manipulating it. It is at theupper portion of the bottle that the'improved retainer is located. The retainer can be made of a single suitably bent length of stiff and strong strip metal. This, as illustrated feed line 20 leads from side of the grip 22 is formed into a semi-circular clasp portion 24, which halves together are adaptedfto engage around the circumference of the bottle. The clasp portions 24 are secured together close to the bottle, on the handle side thereof, as at 28, and on the standard side of the bottle, as at 26; and, if it be desired that'the clasp be tight on the bottle, one, of these will preferably be an adjusting bolt for drawing its ends of the two portions togethenin which case an ordinary rivet may be similarly employed atv the other side of the bottle. In the arrangement illustrated the handle end is'thus adjustable at28 to an extent suflicient to loosen the clasp for the 'setting of a.

bottle into it; and to care for a commercial run of variations in dimensions. of bottles which, are nominally. of the same size. v v,

Thestrip end portions, brought together at 26, extendonward fromthe clasp 24, 24, for engaging .the supporting standard 15. Immediately beyond 26, each is bowed; slightly away from and .then toward the other, and .curves, to form the forkSO. made that-normally and when empty itsprongs contact together in the position illustrated inFigure 3, or so that they stand it is represented in Figure4vwith rather an exaggeration of spread of the V tions of its prongs, thus illustrating how easily a pressu're of the: diverging tips or the'fork against the elliptical edgef15 'oflthestandardwould faciliand the projecting of of the standard; The

tate the further spreading the prongs, one to each'side prongs act ;as spring elements, as the standard 15.

comes'between themfand spring back with strong enclosing and pinching'eflect'thereon,'when the standard reaches the space within the bowed portions of the prongs randithejz maybe stiff enough; to hold that standard there except when the clasp ment of the clamped bottle around the standard.

in Figure 3, is bent at its cenj-j' tral portion into the hand grip 22, and, at each then away, in reverse This fork maybe so 7 slightly spread; but

mutually iconvex 'por,-,

is withdrawn by a strong force consciously applied by a person.'.

. It is a feature of the invention that this spring clamp may hold the bottle against being accidentally turned around standard 14. For this purpose the upper portion of the pipe standard is flattened as at 15; and the fork 30, with its bowed portion shaped accordingly, engages around this flattened portion, preventing any rotatory move- Without the flattening the clamp would still retain the bottleon a circular standing pipe, like the lower portion 14.

The strong resilient pinching effect of the fork 30 on the standard 15 will be sufficient in itself, if theparts are suitably designed, to provide and I maintain an operatively secure attachment of bot- 7 tie to standard. I am able however, to ensure-* against accidental dislocation of the bottle, by locking the prongs of fork'30 in their pinching engagement. A mere U-staple 32, of shape seen in- Figure 4, may serve as an effective look, by being inverted and slipped over the two prongs, as seen in Figures 2 anda3. This mechanically locks the'prongs against spreading, andso elimi nates all possibility of accidental dis-engagement of the retaining means from the standard. It is In operation the retaining means may be v clasped securely on a bottle, to remain as a permanent adjunct thereof, providing a handle at the end of the 'body'of the bottle. With this in addition to the handle 34,'provided as heretofore at the bottle neck, the bottle can be grasped firmly at each end by a person, and the danger of itsslipping from control is practically eliminated.

Thus equipped with the two handles'or grips 22, 34, a full bottle may be gripped securely in ones two hands, and be safely transported, inverted and positioned on its supporting structure. It is only necessary to set its mouth in the cup-recep tacle 12, and to pushthe'upper portion of the bottle against the standard. The prongs of fork 30 will then engage and hold to the standard. By dropping-staple '32 over the prongs, the whole becomes lockedJ I I claim as my inventioni a v a '1." In adevice for retaining a container or the like at a support beside it, a combination of three loops of strip material, the middle of which'loops is permanently secured around the container; anotherof which loops projects from said middle loop and isopen ended, for engaging around the support, there being means for securely closing those open ends beyond that support; and the third of which loops is a closed loop, projecting from the middle loop at'a place on the half of the middle loop which is remote from where'the second loop projects, and constitutes a handle by which the container may be safely moved.

2. In a device. for retaininga container or the I v manently secured around and holding the container; and the other two of said loops are projections from said container-holding loop andare at positions thereon which are spaced apart around it, one of them being adapted to be a handle for manipulating the containeryand the other of them adapted to enclose said support and to hold the whole thereto.

3. A device for retaining a container or the like body at a support beside it, comprising a strip of stiff and strong metal folded double into three successive loop portions, the middle loop of which surrounds the said body while the loop constituted by the middle portion of the strip, projecting from the middle loop, constitutesa handle; and the loop formed by the two end portions of the strip, projecting from the middle loop, constitutes means attaching the strip as a whole and the body which the middle loop encloses to the support; there being a screw bolt connection between those two portions of the strip which come together at one end of the middle loop, whereby the tightness of the enclosing of the body by this loop may be set.

4. A device for retaining a container or the like body at a support beside it, comprising a strip of metal for enclosing the said body and projections therefrom at opposite sides of said body adapted in size, shape and strength for the container body to be handled and its stance secured thereby, one of said projections constituting a handle for the strip and its enclosed body; and the other said projection being adapted to reach horizontally around and be secured behind a vertical support, for holding the whole thereto.

said projections being 'a 5. A- device for retaining a container or the like body at a support beside it, comprising a continuous metal strip, folded doubleso as to surround said body and to surround said support,

there being means binding together the two parts of the strip which come together between the body and the support; a projection from the strip on that side of the body which is remote from the support, said projection constituting a handle; and the portion of the strip which encloses said support comprising the two ends-of' the double strip.- t

6. A device for retaining a container or the like body at support under and beside that body,

comprising a strap folded so as to surround said body and thereby to grip it, there being a screw bolt for drawing it tight uponthe body, combined with projections extending from opposite location on that part of the strap which lies close around the body, said projections projecting thence stiffly, radially, and approximately horizontally on opposite sides of the body; one of handle and the other being means for securing the strap to the support; the basal connection of each said projection, at its said location, spreading laterally .to- Ward both directions of strap around the body, whereby the said body may be steadied laterally,

while it is resting top-heavily on its said under-- neath support, by said handle and said means for I securing it to the vertical support. 

